The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is an agency that works with the Central government to recruit candidates for various public sector bank jobs. The exam in discussion in this article is for personnel to be recruited to work in Regional Rural Banks (RRB). The IBPS RRB 2021 exam official notification released on June 7, 2021, has announced a total of 12,820 vacancies for Officer Scales 1, 2, 3 and Office Assistant (Clerk) posts.
The IBPS RRB PO Exam is conducted in 3 phases. They are:
- Prelims
- Mains
- Interview
In this article, we will make a detailed analysis of the IBPS RRB Scale 1 Prelims Exam held in 2020. The objective behind this exercise is to study and analyze the exam pattern while preparing our own strategy for the upcoming exam. In order to avoid missing any deadlines, take a look at the table of important dates for this exam given below.
| Event | Date |
| Online Application start date | June 8, 2021 |
| Payment of Application Fees/Intimation Charges (Online) | 08th to 28th June 2021 |
| IBPS RRB Preliminary Examination (PO & Clerk) | August 1, 7, 8, 14 and 21, 2021 |
| Result of Online exam- Prelims | September 2021 |
| PO Mains Exam | September 25, 2021 |
| Interview | October/November, 2021 |
| Provisional Allotment (Final Result) | January 2022 |
IBPS RRB PO Prelims 2020
Let us begin with the Prelims paper. This paper consisted of two sections, namely Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. Each section was assessed for 40 marks each for which a composite time of 45 minutes was allotted.
Reasoning
| Topics | No. of Questions | Level |
| Seating Arrangement | 10 | Easy-Moderate |
| Puzzles | 10 | Easy-Moderate |
| Coding Decoding | 5 | Easy |
| Inequality | 5 | Easy |
| Syllogism | 5 | Easy |
| Direction | 2 | Easy |
| Blood Relation | 1 | Easy |
| Misc. | 2 | Easy |
| Total | 40 | Easy |
The highest number of questions were asked from Seating Arrangement and Puzzles. Also, since there is a penalty of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer, candidates should not make any blind guesses. In order to ensure that candidates do not leave any questions unanswered, candidates must not spend more than half a minute on any question on average.
Quantitative Aptitude
| Topics | No. of Questions | Level |
| Quadratic Equation | 5 | Easy |
| Data Interpretation- Pie-Chart, Tabular DI | 12 | Easy- Moderate |
| Quantity I & Quantity II | 5 | Easy |
| Series (Missing) | 6 | Easy |
| Arithmetic Word Problem | 12 | Easy-Moderate |
| Total | 40 | Easy-Moderate |
From Quant, the highest number of questions were asked from Data Interpretation and Arithmetic Word Problems. The question volume for the remaining topics was more or less evenly distributed. As you can see, no questions were asked from Simplification and Approximation, Percentage, Profit & Loss and Time & Work. However, this does not mean that any topic should be left out of the preparation altogether. This topic-wise break-up has been provided so candidates can gauge which topics carry more weightage in the exam. The overall level of assessment was moderate to easy.
Candidates must note that while the syllabus and exam pattern for the Office Assistant exam and PO exam is the same, the question papers were not common.
IBPS RRB PO Prelims Cut-Off 2020
Let us now look at the Cut-offs for the IBPS RRB PO exam. Studying the previous year’s cut-offs gives us an idea as to approximately what score needs to be targeted by the candidates. While cut-offs obviously differ from year to year depending on the level of assessment, a rough idea can be devised for the upcoming exam. In this section, we will discuss the cut-offs for the Prelims paper
| State Name | Cut-off Gen | Cut-off OBC |
| UP | 47 | 46.75 |
| J& K | 52 | — |
| Rajasthan | 66 | 66 |
| Gujarat | 59.75 | 59.77 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 52.75 | — |
| Odisha | 62.75 | — |
| Jharkhand | — | 54 .25 |
| Haryana | 60.50 | — |
| Bihar | 48 | — |
| Maharashtra | — | 47.25 |
| Tamil Nadu | — | 54 |
| Chhattisgarh | 43.25 | — |
| West Bengal | 52 | — |
The Cut-off marks for the Prelims exam range from the 40s to the early 60s. This indicates that the overall level of assessment was moderate to easy. The lowest mark scored by a qualifying candidate from the General category was 43.25 from Chhattisgarh. The highest cut-off mark for the General category was 62.75 in Odisha. The lowest mark scored by a qualifying candidate from the OBC group was 46.75 from Uttar Pradesh.
After reviewing the Prelims exam analysis and cut-offs, you have gained a fair idea about the nature and standard of assessment for the first stage of the paper. However, candidates should also be well-aware of the nature of assessment for the IBPS RRB PO 2020 Mains paper for a complete understanding.
A good way to gauge this exam’s pattern is by going through the IBPS RRB PO previous year paper. This will allow you to study the exam pattern carefully while also understanding where you stand in your exam preparation.
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Also read:
IBPS RRB 2020 Officers Scale 2 and 3 Exam Analysis
IBPS RRB PO 2020 Mains Exam Analysis
IBPS RRB Clerk 2020 Mains Exam Analysis
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